REST...

AN OBVIOUS NEED TO RESTORE OUR ENERGY

How did you sleep last night?  Did  you feel rested this morning?  Are you able to wind down in after work and have a relaxing evening before you go to bed?

We live busy lives.  Often we are stressed, finding it difficult to cope with everything going on in our lives and in the world around us.  Our levels of stress are often worse when we're already tired.  When our ability to sleep well is affected, it can be even more difficult to recover from stress.  Unfortunately as well as just not feeling great, this can have a negative effect on our health and well-being in general.

Everyone knows how tired they feel after not sleeping well.  For some this is a constant problem.  What many people don't realise is how much this can impact our body's energy systems.  For example scientific studies have shown that disrupted sleep can affect how well your body deals with sugar for the whole of the next day.  When this happens regularly or even constantly, your body can struggle to manage blood sugar balance, even if you are eating a relatively balanced diet. 

Poor sleep also increased the stress hormone cortisol, which in turn raises blood sugar levels and tells your body to store glucose as fat, especially around your middle.  This extra fat can lead to other problems and affect your vitality.  Raised cortisol levels also disrupt sleep, so there can be a health and energy depleting merry-go-round.

Therefore having good sleep is important and being able to rest so that you are coping with the stresses of life is essential.

The good news is that by paying attention to the quality of your sleep you can make a difference to how you feel and your health, no matter when you start to do this.  Some foods and also the timing of when you eat can support or disrupt your sleep.  This is also something I guide my clients about.

Rest is also important because it is only when we are resting that our bodies digest properly, heal and repair.  So if you are constantly in an un-rested state, anything in your body that needs healing will be put on hold while you deal with whatever the perceived stress is.  This can be the cause of chronic low energy, pain and other illness. 

"I have been sleeping better and I have just felt 'lighter'"

For good sleep and rest, activity is also important